Titans' four-fold mission

Created 12/02/2003 - 12:00am

1. Unsharpen the edge. Tennessee had the league's No. 1 rushing defense, entering Week 13 of the NFL schedule allowing just 73.9 yards per game. However, the Titans haven't forgotten James' 120-yard scorching in Week 2. The Titans must find a way to keep James in check in order to win Sunday.

2. Don't let Marvin be marvelous. Despite the development of secondary targets, Marvin Harrison is still Peyton Manning's go-to guy. The Titans will need Samari Rolle to come up big to slow Harrison on Sunday.

3. Protect and elude. Steve McNair's performance in Tennessee's Week 2 loss at Indianapolis was hampered by the fact that he couldn't move well with his sprained knee. Even though he has a tender calf, the Titans will need McNair to move around as much as possible, and Tennessee has to solve the riddle that was Dwight Freeney's speed rushing in the first meeting.

4. Come out ready. This is the game the Titans have, at least behind the scenes, been pointing to ever since their embarrassing loss in the RCA Dome. Tennessee has positioned itself to make this game mean something. Now, it has to make good on that opportunity.